New Jersey's hopes of implementing sports betting at racetracks and in Atlantic City's casinos were dealt a major blow Friday, when Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill sponsored by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) that would allow the practice by deregulating it and circumventing the federal law prohibiting it.

Lesniak put the bill forward as an alternative means of ushering in sports wagering after being rebuffed by a federal appeals court and seeing the U.S. Supreme Court decline to hear the state’s case.

The bill, which Christie noted in his veto as a “novel attempt,” is “counter to our democratic traditions and inconsistent with the Constitutional values I have sworn to defend and protect.”

“While I do not agree with the Circuit Court’s conclusion, I do believe that the rule of law is sacrosanct, binding on all Americans,” Christie wrote. “That duty adheres with special solemnity to those elected officials privileged to swear an oath to uphold the laws of our nation.”

Christie added in his veto that there may still be other options for the state, but that there was no need to rush to find them.

“While I remain open to exploring legally sound ways to let the state’s casinos and racetracks offer sports wagering, I am mindful that this process takes time,” Christie wrote.

Now, according to Lesniak, the state is left with only two options if it ever wants a sniff at sports betting: a legislative override of Christie’s veto, or just waiting it out a few years until a new governor is in office.

The problem with an override is that although the bill received wide bipartisan support in reaching Christie’s desk, Lesniak said those same votes are never usually there a second time around after the governor has used his veto pen.

And waiting? Lesniak says that option “may very well be too late” to save the state’s casinos and racetracks, which he says are “both on life support.”

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Andrew George

Andrew George covers the Statehouse from NJBIZ's Trenton bureau. Born and raised in N.J., Andrew has also spent time as a reporter in D.C., Texas and Pa. His email is andrewg@njbiz.com and he is @AndrGeorge on Twitter.

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